SEAL Heroes Pirate Takedown

If you think about it, it's actually a compliment that so many seem to detest Metal Gear Solid's lengthy cut-scenes.

It's only because those snippets of stealthy gameplay are so damn enjoyable that thrashing the 'start' button every time the game wanders off into its own subconscious becomes the only option.

If only, you might scream, there was a way to sample that gaming goodness without having to listen to some gravelly voiced dude drone on in those seemingly endless codec moments.

Enter SEAL Heroes Pirate Takedown.

Though not necessarily in the same league, SEAL Heroes Pirate Takedown may well be the answer to Metal Gear fatigue, if only because what it brings to the table undoubtedly has a feel of the original, pre-cut-scene, Metal Gear series.

Viewed from above, the game lets you command a batch of US Navy SEALs through a series of maze like levels, taking down pirates - not the kind that have hooks for hands or parrots on their shoulders, but the nasty modern kind that continue to pop up in the news with alarming frequency - and rescuing hostages.

Controlling just one SEAL at a time, movement is handled via a virtual thumbstick on the left of the screen. Firing your chosen weapon is done by swiping a stick on the right. It's a set-up that quickly becomes comfortable as you move through levels shooting down enemies in search of your objectives.

In this respect, SEAL Heroes Pirate Takedown focuses on stealth. Rather than attracting attention and taking on scores of pirates in one go, moving and firing on individual targets before you've had a chance to be spotted is the aim.

Firing doesn't necessarily mean killing, though. The available weaponry makes it possible to capture your foe. In fact, you're rewarded for passing through peacefully - shooting down enemies with a tranquiliser gun nets you points aplenty.

This uncomplicated approach doesn't make overcoming the pirate infestation easy. On the contrary, SEAL Heroes Pirate Takedown occupies that awkward middle ground between being a casual action title and a more hardcore offering.

The whole thing relies on your ability to take out targets before they have an opportunity to gather. While health packs are liberally sprinkled around most levels, it's very easy to be taken out in a matter of seconds if you don't pop off your enemies in short order.

It's like trying to crack a code. While everything seems especially straightforward when it's all going swimmingly, it only needs one element to slip out of place for the whole thing to fall apart. Such is the pace of either success or failure that it's sometimes hard to fathom just what went wrong.

There's the odd glitch, too. Quite often your foe will handily wait for you to reload before firing back, detracting somewhat from the claim that the game is "inspired by real-life events."

It's also a touch difficult to tell enemies apart from hostages in the heat of the moment. The game's top-down perspective presents both as splodges, with a few limb-like mini-splodges attached for good measure.

The whole thing is something of a learning process, which means replaying levels is encouraged. The best levels motivate you to succeed at any cost and play feels disposable, albeit fun. There's no guarantee you'll have the impetus to make use of that restart when it's offered.